The Joker And The Ace
by Just4FunFiction
Summary: Lincoln's going to another Ace Savvy convention, but Clyde tells him that he can't join him. Will Lincoln be able to have fun by himself? Will he have to? (Idea suggested by BlueprintMan)


It was just before 10AM on another Saturday in Royal Woods, Michigan. The sun was high in the morning sky, with the warm air giving everyone the energy they needed to do what they had to. In one particular house on Franklin Avenue, dubbed for many reasons 'The Loud House', an eleven-year-old white-haired boy was in linen closet-turned-bedroom, checking his reflection. Rather than his usual attire, Lincoln Loud was dressed in a red long sleeved body suit with maroon trunks, a golden-yellow utility belt, black boots, gold bracelets, a blue cape that had a white 'A' where it was tied together, and a black eye mask.

"Ace Savvy, here to deal out some justice!" He spoke to his reflection, holding out some cards like a poker hand, only for one to fly loose. 'Dang it, so close,' he thought as he picked up the loose card, before turning to the viewer. "Hey, guys. So, there's an Ace Savvy convention down at the Royal Woods mall. While I was starting to think I might be getting too old for this, after the last convention where I met older people who do this, I realised that it's not how old you are that matters, but the love you have for the franchise."

He opened the door and began walking towards the stairs, but stopped when he heard someone say, "Well, well, well! Look what we have here!"

Lincoln sighed, looking back at the viewer. "Wish my sisters could see that too."

He turned and looked at his six-year-old sister, Lola, dressed in her usual pink dress and driving her princess car. She had a smug, arrogant grin on her face as she looked at the boy. "If it isn't Captain Underpants!"

He scowled at her. "Says the girl constantly dressed as a princess!" He shot back.

She scoffed. "Yes, but I'm a pageant queen, who is expected to look prim and proper. You are just a dork."

Lincoln rolled his eyes to avoid lashing out at her. "Whatever. I'm leaving."

"Okay." Lincoln turned around and began to walk away, so she pulled out a megaphone. "LINCOLN'S WEARING HIS SUPERHERO OUTFIT AGAIN!"

He growled, turning again and narrowing his eyes at her. "You hate me, don't you?"

Within seconds, all ten of Lincoln's sisters were out on the landing, looking at him with looks of amusement, pointing and laughing, all except for Lucy, who stood there silently. Lincoln just stood there, balling up his fist and gritting his teeth.

"Honestly, Lame-O!" Lynn sneered. "You just don't get it, do you? You look _pathetic_!"

"Whatever, Lynn!" He argued. "It's not like I care what you have to say about this."

"But you should," Lisa pointed out. "After all, you look completely ridiculous. That costume is neither aerodynamic nor quote unquote 'cool'."

"To you, no, but it is to me!"

"Lincoln, you literally don't know what cool is!" Lori taunted. She pulled up a phone. "I need to take a picture of this."

"Well, if you do, why don't you send it to Becky? Or Chaz, or Joey? I'd actually like to hear what they think!"

Lori looked confused, lowering her phone. "Why?"

Lincoln smirked. "Because I might see one of them at the convention."

She scoffed. "That's ridiculous. They're too cool to care about stupid comics."

"Shows what you know about your so-called friends." Lincoln began walking down stairs, ignoring the taunts and jeers he received from his sisters, and entered the kitchen, where his mother was finishing her coffee. "Hey, mom! Are you ready to go?"

Rita smiled at her son. "Just a second, Lincoln. I need to grab my purse once I've had this."

"Okay. I'll wait in the living room." He turned around and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. 'Why do my sisters have to be such jerks?' He pondered. 'I've never judged them for their interests- sure, we all groan at Luan's jokes, but I've never thought less mocked her for being a comedian! Why do they have to do that to me?'

"Lincoln?" He gasped when he saw Lucy stood next to the couch.

"Oh, it's just you, Lucy. What's up?"

She didn't say anything until she hugged him tightly, with Lincoln blinking out of surprise. "Sorry the others are so mean to you."

He smiled as he hugged her back, stroking her hair. "Don't worry about it," he told her. "Some people just don't change. At least you didn't mock me."

"It wouldn't be right of me to, especially after… you know. You opened my eyes to just how much you put up with."

"It's okay. I'm used to it, and if they can't support me, then that's their problem, not mine."

"Ready to go, Lincoln?" He heard Rita call out.

"Okay!" He let go of the hug. "You wanna maybe join me?"

"No thanks. I'm still not a fan of it, even with your awesome comic, plus I'm meeting Haiku."

"I understand. Still, at least I'll always have Clyde."

* * *

"What?!"

"Sorry, Lincoln," Howard told the white-haired boy. "Clyde came down with a high fever and it looks like he has the flu."

Lincoln deflated. "Aww, man…" He looked back up at the ginger man. "Can I at least talk to him?"

"Well… I guess, but you'll have to do so through the door. I don't want you to catch anything."

"Thank you." Howard led him into the house, towards Clyde's room. Once by his door, he knocked on it. "Clyde? It's Lincoln."

"Hey, Lincoln," Clyde weakly responded, before coughing roughly.

"How you feeling?"

"Not good, buddy. Sorry I can't go with you."

"Don't worry about it, your health is more important. I can just head home and read comics or something."

"What?!" He coughed again due to raising his voice. "Lincoln, you shouldn't miss out because of me!"

"But, Clyde, we always go together. We're Clincoln McLoud! Ace and Jack! I've never gone by myself, I'd feel too awkward!"

"But, Lincoln, there were times when Ace Savvy had to go on missions alone. Don't you think you should do the same?"

"I… I don't know, Clyde."

"Lincoln… I know it sounds scary, but it's like Ace said in issue number 132- sometimes, you have to take a risk and go all in, even when the cards you're dealt aren't great."

Lincoln sighed. "You're right. Of course you are. I'll go." He smiled. "Don't worry, I'll bring you back some goodies from the convention."

"Thanks, Ace. Now, go on! You don't want to be late!"

Lincoln nodded, before walking away. He thanked Howard on his way out, the ginger man shutting the door after he left, before Lincoln began making his way towards the mall. Along the way, he experienced more than a few stares from people, whether they were walking past him, driving along the roads, or in one of the shops or restaurants. 'Keep it together, Lincoln,' he assured himself when he felt nervous. 'It's not far, and once you're there, it won't matter.' He was starting to feel his reserve dwindle when he heard people muttering about him as he passed them. 'They don't know you, you don't know them. It doesn't matter what they think.' Lincoln kept a straight face, all the way to the mall. 'Alright, you're almost there. You just have to go through the mall to the convention centre, and then everything will be fine.'

He entered through the automatic doors and began to walk past the different shops, ignoring as best he could the looks he was receiving.

"Haha!" He heard a little kid shout, not looking to see the five or six-year-old pointing at him. "Look at the weirdo!"

Whilst his mother told him off for pointing, Lincoln continued walking. 'You're better than that, Lincoln,' he reminded himself. 'If you can put up with nine sisters mocking you, you can put up with some snot nosed kid.'

As he continued walking, however, he felt someone shove him from behind. Looking behind him, he saw three boys, about thirteen years of age each. They were all wearing hoodies- the brunette in a blue hoodie, the blonde in a grey hoodie, and the raven-haired boy in a black hoodie.

"Look at the little dork!" The blonde taunted, with him and the others laughing. Lincoln tried to get up and just walk away, but the blonde pushed him back down. "Is the little baby scared?" Lincoln scowled at him, prompting the laughter to grow. "Look at him trying to be tough!"

Lincoln was preparing to shout back at them, but fortunately, he didn't need to. "What's going on here?" They all heard a bald man in his late-thirties, wearing sunglasses and a security guard uniform, inquire. "There some kind of trouble here?" The blonde just sneered and began walking away, so the bald man helped Lincoln to his feet. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Lincoln replied, dusting himself off.

"You here for the Ace Savvy convention?" Lincoln nodded, prompting the security guard to smile. "My nephew enjoys that comic too. I'd say he's not much younger than you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So, you know where you're going?" Lincoln nodded. "You want me to make sure you get there alright?" Lincoln shook his head. He patted the boy on the shoulder. "Alright. Stay safe, kiddo."

"Thank you." With that, Lincoln continued on his way, whilst the guard resumed his patrol. Lincoln could see the convention hall once he turned the corner, so he put on a smile. "Almost there."

Once he was close enough, he could hear just how busy it was inside. Looking in, he saw people walking around, both dressed in merchandise and in costumes, checking out the booths, buying comics and action figures. Lincoln felt his confidence grow as he entered, knowing that he was surrounded by people who shared his feelings for Ace Savvy.

"Here we go!" He said, looking around. "I wonder what I should do first. Look for the new comics? See if there's a signing? Maybe I could-" He felt someone push past him, causing him to stagger a bit. "Hey! Watch it!" Lincoln backed up a bit, only to feel himself bump into someone else. "Sorry!" He quickly tried to walk away, but found himself being repeatedly bumped into. He looked around for an opening, eventually getting free of the crowd unharmed. He walked over to one of the booths and stood with his back to it so he could see just how full this convention was. 'Looks a lot… bigger than usual,' he thought. 'How did I not notice this before?' When he realised the answer, he frowned. 'Oh, right. Because Clyde is usually with me… maybe I shouldn't have come here.'

"Lincoln?" He heard someone ask. Turning to see who it was, he saw a girl about his age, dressed in a black and yellow jester outfit, with black and yellow boots, a pink squirting flower, and a yellow eye mask with black and pink diamonds over each eyehole, as well as pink and yellow bobbles to put her blondish-brown hair into two pigtails. He recognised the costume as The Joker, a member of the Full House Gang from the comic he used to enter and win a contest. However, he was more surprised at who it was. "Is that you?"

"Jordan?" He asked, his eyes widened. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well, I heard about the convention, and my friends were busy today, so I thought, 'Why not', you know?"

"Fair enough. It's just that I've not seen you at one of these before."

She sheepishly smiled, rubbing the back of her hand. "Yeah… my friends aren't exactly into Ace Savvy." She looked back at him. "What about you? How come you're here by yourself?"

Lincoln frowned. "I normally go with Clyde, but he's not feeling well," he explained. "I wasn't going to come, but he insisted that I should, so I did."

"That sucks. Still, at least you know someone here."

His frown turned to a smile. "Yeah, that's true. I like your costume, by the way. The Joker, right?"

Her cheeks heated a little at the compliment as she nodded. "Yeah. I remember her being in the comic you designed, and she was my favourite of them." She looked his costume up and down. "You've got a really good Ace Savvy costume."

His cheeks also heated a little. "Thanks. Wish my sisters felt the same way."

"Let me guess. They think you look lame?" He nodded. "Don't worry. You don't have to worry about that here."

"Thanks."

"So… if you're here by yourself, and I am too… what do you say we hang out together?"

Lincoln's smile grew. "That sounds-"

"Hey, Lincoln!" They turned around and saw three older kids walking their way, each wearing an Ace Savvy shirt. One was a tall, slim red-haired girl, one was a brown-haired Guy, and the other was a short, larger dark blond-haired guy. "What a surprise!" The taller guy spoke.

"Hey, guys!" Lincoln turned to Jordan. "Jordan, this is Becky, Joey and Chaz. They're friends of my sister Lori's who I bumped into the last time there was a convention here." He turned to the twelfth graders. "This is Jordan. She's a friend of mine from school."

"Nice to meet you," Jordan greeted them with a small wave.

"Nice to meet you too, Jordan," Becky replied with a smirk. "Though, uh, are you two sure you're just friends?" The two fifth-graders blushed heavily, causing the three older kids to laugh. "Relax, I'm just messing with you guys."

"So, where's your other friend?" Chaz asked. "You know, the one who dressed up as One Eyed Jack?"

"Oh, you mean Clyde. He wasn't feeling well, so he couldn't make it."

"That sucks. Hope he gets better."

"Hey, why don't you two hang out with us?" Joey offered. "The more the merrier, am I right?"

Lincoln looked back at Jordan, their eyes meeting, before he turned back to the others. "Thanks, but I think I'm just going to hang out with Jordan."

Jordan looked surprised to hear that, but also happy. "You sure you two are just friends?" Chaz teased, causing Lincoln to roll his eyes.

"Alright," Becky told the white-haired boy. "If you two get a chance later on, you can come find us if you want."

"Sure thing. We'll see you later, guys."

The three of them waved as they walked away. Once they were amongst the crowd again, Jordan turned to Lincoln. "You know, we could have joined them if you wanted to," she told him.

"I know," he replied, "but I think I'd rather hang with just you for a while. Is that okay?" She felt her cheeks heat up again as she nodded. "Okay, then. Why don't you pick what we do first?"

"Okay." She began to lead him towards one of the stalls when she felt someone bump into her. "Sorry!"

"You okay?" Lincoln asked, to which she nodded. "Here." He gently grabbed hold of her hand, causing them both to feel a small tingle when their hands met. She looked at him, her heart speeding up slightly as he smiled at her. "That way we don't get hurt or separated."

She smiled, her blush growing. "Thank you."

* * *

For the next couple of hours, they went around checking the different stalls and attractions available. They bought a couple of comics and other merchandise, including some things for Clyde, listened in on a Q&A with the cast of the upcoming live-action movie adaptation, 'Ace Savvy- The First Hand', and had a practice at drawing comic book superheroes, before deciding to grab some food. They were sat down at a table, each eating a small pizza shaped like a spade, their bags of goodies on the floor by their feet.

"This is pretty good pizza," Lincoln remarked. "Not as good as Gus' Game And Grub pizza, but still pretty good."

"I don't think I've ever actually been there," Jordan told him, getting him to look at her. "I mean, I'm not the biggest gamer, but I enjoy video games once in a while. I just…"

"Don't have anyone to go with?" She nodded. "I get what you mean. Still, that shouldn't stop you from having fun. If nothing else, you could go with me sometime."

"I'd like that."

" _Attention, everyone!"_ They heard a man speak over the intercom. _"The under-fifteens' costume contest will take place on the main stage in twenty minutes. Those who wish to sign up should head there and sign their name on the list held by one of the volunteers."_

Lincoln looked at Jordan, a spark in his eye. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She shook her head at him. "No way," she told him firmly. "I can't! I'd get way to nervous!"

"Aw, come on! You would win it hands down!" She blushed at his confidence in her, but still felt uncertain. "Besides, wouldn't it make your first convention more memorable?"

"Well, I guess… I don't know, Lincoln."

He smiled confidently at her. "What was it that Ace Savvy said in issue number 132? 'Sometimes, you have to take a risk, and-"

"Go all in," she finished, smiling back at him. She saw the determination in his eye. "If I sign up will you do so too?" He nodded, so she sighed. "Alright. Let's do this."

"Awesome!" So, they finished their pizzas and got up with their bags, drinking their sodas along the way. Once near the stage, they saw a few kids, some older than them, some younger. After waiting a bit for the others to finish signing up, Lincoln and Jordan approached a twenty-something man with glasses, wearing a red polo shirt with the Ace Savvy logo on the chest, blue jeans and red sneakers. He held a clipboard in on hand and a pen in the other. "We'd like to sign up for the costume contest."

"Sure thing, kids," the man responded, holding his clipboard and pen out to them. "Just write down your name, age and who you're dressed as." Jordan wrote down her details first, then Lincoln did the same, before handing the clipboard and pen back to the volunteer. "Thank you. Good luck in the contest."

"Thank you."

"Hey, Lincoln! Jordan!" They heard a voice call, which they recognised to be Becky. Turning, they saw the three twelfth graders walking towards them. "Were you two signing up for the costume contest?" Lincoln nodded. "Well, we were about to head off, but I think now we'll stay and support you."

"You mean that?" Jordan asked.

"Sure," Joey told her. "For fifth-graders, you two are pretty cool."

"Thanks, you guys. You're pretty cool too."

" _Attention, everyone!"_ The guy on the intercom spoke again. _"The under-fifteens' costume contest is about to begin."_

"You two better head backstage," Chaz advised. "We'll find somewhere to watch on cheer you on."

"Thanks, guys," Lincoln told him. "Wish us luck."

With that, Jordan and Lincoln joined the crowd of kids heading backstage. Chaz, Becky and Joey all found seats near the front. As the crowd of friends, family and other cosplayers found their seats, an elderly man, wearing a yellow polo, brown pants held up by red suspenders, dark brown shoes and glasses, made his way onto the stage with a mic in hand, receiving cheers and applause from the crowd.

"Hello, everyone!" He announced. "For those who don't know who I am, my name is Bill Buck, and I am the creator of the Ace Savvy universe. Is everyone having a good time?" The audience cheered and clapped. "That's great to hear, because it's time for our main event! Behind the curtains are about thirty young boys and girls, all dressed as their favourite characters from the franchise, hoping to win your hearts! As a reward for their bravery, all contestants will received a copy of the very first Ace comic that was ever published, signed by yours truly. However, the top three will also receive something just a little bit sweeter, but I won't spoil what that is just yet."

As Bill continued to explain the competition, the contestants were talking amongst themselves. "Holy cow!" Lincoln told Jordan. "I had no idea Bill Buck would be here!"

"Me neither," Jordan replied quietly, "now I'm even more nervous."

Lincoln placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled softly. "You're going to be great."

"How can you be so sure?"

He gave a small laugh. "I just know it."

She saw the confidence he had for her in his eyes, and smiled back at him. "Thanks, Lincoln."

She threw her arms around him. It caught him by surprise, but he smiled happily as he returned the gesture, both feeling warmth in their chests. "Without further ado," they heard Bill announce, "let the Ace Savvy Costume Contest… commence!"

One by one, the kids would walk on stage, pose for the crowd, and quote the character they were dressed as or say something they would be likely to say, then return backstage. After the twelfth contestant had their turn, Lincoln was told his turn was coming up. "Okay," he said, both to himself and Jordan. "Wish me luck."

"You've got this, Lincoln," she told him.

He nodded, before taking his place behind the curtain. "Our thirteenth contestant!" He heard Bill announce. "An eleven-year-old boy will be bringing our hero to life. Please welcome Lincoln as… Ace Savvy!"

Lincoln pushed through the curtains, and was met with an ovation from the crowd. As he walked to the front of the stage, smiling confidently, he could make out Chaz, Becky and Joey rooting for him. He pulled a deck of cards out of his utility belt, holding them in his right hand and flicking through them with his left. "It's time to deal out some justice!" He called out, whipping his hand to spread out the entire deck in his hand, this time not dropping a single card. He posed for a few seconds while the audience cheered and took photos, and the judges took notes.

Once he was finished writing his notes, Bill grabbed the mic again and announced, "thank you very much! Give it up for Lincoln, everyone!"

Lincoln waved before walking backstage. As Bill announced the next contestant, Jordan walked up to Lincoln as soon as he passed through the curtains. "Lincoln, that was great!" She eagerly told him, causing him to blush. "You made it look so easy!"

"I doubt I was that good," he argued, causing her to giggle.

"Lincoln, you're too modest. I bet you'll win this, hands down."

"I don't know about that. For one thing, you haven't gone yet." She blushed when he said this. "But even if I don't win, it's all for fun anyways."

"You're right. Still, you looked awesome out there."

"Thanks."

After a few more contestants had their turns, the assistant who helped them sign up before walked up to Jordan. "Okay, number twenty-one, Jordan, you're up next," he explained.

"Thank you," she told him, then turned to Lincoln. "Guess there's no turning back now."

"Don't worry about it," he told her, his smile once again making her feel confident. "Go all in, and you'll do great!"

She nodded, before taking her place behind the curtain. "And now for our twenty-first contestant!" Bill announced. "She's an eleven-year-old girl, and she's ready to make you laugh. Please welcome Jordan as the Full House Gang's very own… The Joker!"

Jordan pushed through the curtain and skipped to the front of the stage, waving to the cheering crowd. She spotted Lincoln's friends shouting her name and cheering, and winked at them. She reached the front and stopped, laughing heartily. "You know," she said to the audience, "when they told me I would be number twenty-one, do you know what the first thing I said was?"

"What!" Everyone asked.

"Blackjack!" Everyone laughed, with Jordan's laugh echoing over it all.

"Thank you very much, give it up for Jordan!" Bill spoke.

Jordan gave a curtsy, before skipping back to the curtain. As soon as she got there, she went straight to Lincoln. "So? How did I do?"

"Are you kidding?!" He replied, grinning from ear to ear. "You were amazing!" Her cheeks heated up. "Seriously, Jordan, I thought you were incredible out there! You're going to win this for sure!"

"You're too kind, Lincoln." Her cheeks were even redder. "I doubt that I'll win, but I'm glad you convinced me to do this. This was a lot of fun."

"Right?! And as long as you have fun, who cares what else happens?"

She nodded, knowing he was right. "Exactly."

* * *

"Thank you for bearing with us, ladies and gentlemen," Bill addressed upon returning to the stage with his two fellow judges, a brown-haired woman wearing a grey suit with a white dress shirt and black dress shoes, and a brown-haired man wearing a white t-shirt, grey jeans and red sneakers. They stood near a table with a red cloth with some items on it. "After deliberation, we have reached a decision. We would first like to thank everyone who took part for doing so. They were all amazing, and we would like to invite all contestants back onto the stage, so please, give them a round of applause!"

The audience complied as everyone who took part walked back on stage and formed a line across the back of it. Lincoln and Jordan, stood next to each other, looked over at Chaz, Becky and Joey, who were cheering for them, with Joey flashing thumbs up. Lincoln looked at his friend. "Good luck," he told her.

"You too," she replied.

"While they were all amazing, we do have a top three." He turned to the woman, who handed him a sheet of paper. "In third place… dressed as Snake Eyes, eight-year-old Billy!" The boy cheered as he stepped forward, the crowd applauding him. The woman walked over to a table and grabbed a red ribbon, attached to a bronze medal in the shape of a spade with an 'A' engraved in the middle, then walked back to the boy and placed it around his neck, shaking his hand. He happily thanked her, before returning to where he was stood before. "In second place, dressed as Ace Savvy… is eleven-year-old Lincoln!"

Lincoln stood there, wide-eyed, whilst everyone else applauded him. He turned to Jordan, who ushered him on, so he walked forward, smiling as he waved at the crowd, especially to the three twelfth-graders cheering his name. The guy in the white t-shirt grabbed the silver medal off the table, walked up to Lincoln and placed it around his neck. "Great job with the costume, kid," he told the white-haired boy, extending his hand.

Lincoln shook his hand, unable to hide his glee. "Thank you, sir," Lincoln replied.

Once the man let go of his hand, Lincoln walked back to his place next to Jordan, who was smiling happily at him. "Well done!" She told him.

"Thanks," he replied.

"And now," Bill announced, "to announce the winner." He paused to build up suspense, with some of the contestants crossing their fingers and some audience members drumming their hands against their laps. "In first place… dressed as… the Joker from the Full House Gang," Jordan and Lincoln's eyes went wide at hearing this, the former cupping her hands over her mouth and the latter smiling ecstatically, "give it up for eleven-year-old Jordan!"

"Go Jordan!" Becky cheered as the audience began to applaud, with Chaz and Joey whooping for her. Jordan, still in shock, turned to Lincoln, who was applauding her with energy.

"Go on!" He urged, gesturing to the front of the stage.

Smiling, she walked forward, waving to the cheering crowd. She smiled wider when she saw Lincoln's friends, cheering her on. Stopping near the front of the stage, she turned and saw Bill walk to her, gold medal in hand, which he then placed around her neck. "Congratulations, Jordan," he spoke into the mic. "Tell me, why did you choose the Joker?" He turned to the audience. "For those who don't know, the Joker and the rest of the Full House Gang were first created as part of a comic book design contest ran a few months back, and while it was a one-off, they were some of my favourite characters to draw."

He held the microphone out so Jordan could speak into it. "Well," she explained, "I chose Joker because she was my favourite of the Full House Gang. That was my favourite issue of Ace Savvy," she looked back at Lincoln, "because it was designed by a friend of mine."

While the crowd cooed at this, Bill looked back at Lincoln, who was slightly flushed, and smirked. 'I thought I recognised him,' he thought to himself, before turning back to Jordan. "Well, congratulations." He turned to the audience. "With that, the costume contest is at an end. While I go back there and sign comics for our contestants, I hope you all continue to enjoy the convention."

Whilst most of the audience began to walk away and check out some of the other stalls, Becky, Chaz and Joe decided to head backstage and congratulate the winners. Heading through the curtains, they saw Lincoln and Jordan conversing with each other, both looking at each other's medals. The two of them looked and saw the three older kids approaching them, eager smiles on their faces.

"Way to go, guys!" Joey congratulated first.

"Yeah, you did awesome up there!" Chaz added. "You totally deserved to win that."

"Thanks, guys," Jordan replied, then turned to Lincoln, "though I still think you should have come first instead of me."

"And I keep telling you that you deserve it way more!" Lincoln argued, smirking at her. "Your costume is way better, and I was one of, like, five kids dressed as Ace."

"But still the best looking of them."

Becky crossed her arms, grinning cheekily. "Okay, one last time- are you absolutely sure you two are just friends?" She joked, laughing when the two younger kids became flustered, their cheeks bright red. "Just kidding, just kidding." She pulled out her phone. "We should get a picture of this!" The others all agreed, before standing next to each other, with Lincoln and Jordan at the front and Chaz, Joey and Becky behind them. They posed and smiled as Becky held up her phone, the flash going off as she took the photo. Becky showed them the photo and they smiled. "Nice."

"Anyway, we need to get going," Joey explained. "We just wanted to say congrats before we left."

"Thanks for watching, you guys," Jordan told him. "It's been nice meeting you."

"You two, Jordan," Becky replied. "You're pretty cool. I hope we see you again at one of these things."

"You got it."

"See you around, guys!" Lincoln told them.

"Later, guys!" Chaz called as he, Becky and Joey walked away, leaving the two kids behind to look at each other.

"So, should we go talk to Bill now?" He asked her, receiving a nod in response. They walked over to the table where Bill was signing and handing out comics to the other kids who took part in the contest. As the last kid walked away, Jordan and Lincoln approached the table, the old man smiling at them.

"I was wondering when you two would show up," he told them, pulling out two comics from a box. "I must say, Lincoln, I didn't recognise you at first. Should have recognised you from the name, but when you get to my age, that isn't as easy as you'd think."

"It's nice to meet you again, sir," Lincoln told him.

"Tell me, how are you sisters? The rowdy bunch that inspired your comic."

"They're good. They're all back at home, they're not as big fans of Ace Savvy as me."

He chuckled softly. "I bet." He then turned to Jordan. "And may I ask how long you two have known each other?"

"Lincoln's in my class, sir," Jordan explained. "He's a friend of mine, even if we don't hang out as much as we do with our other friends."

"I see… well, I'm glad you came to the convention today. Have you had fun so far?" They both nodded. "That's great to hear!" He grabbed a red marker pen, and began to write on the front page of one comic, completing it with his signature, then did the same on the other comic, before handing them to the two kids. "Now, I'm sure you both want to go and enjoy the convention, but if you don't mind, Lincoln, I have a proposition for you."

Lincoln and Jordan looked at each other, curious, then looked back at the comic book author. "What is it?"

* * *

"I still can't believe it!" Jordan exclaimed. A couple of hours had passed since the contest ended, and the two kids were now in the back of Jordan's mother's car after she offered Lincoln a lift, since Lincoln's mother needed the van to do errands for the day. They had taken off their eye masks and placed them in their bags with their comics, and whilst Jordan still had hers on, Lincoln placed his medal in his bag.

"Me neither!" Lincoln replied. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it- Bill Buck asked me to help him bring back the Full House Gang!"

 _(Flashback)_

" _I honestly loved your comic, and want to bring back the characters," Bill explained to the stunned boy. "However, they were from your contest entry, which makes them fan characters. Therefore, I haven't been able to have them make more appearances."_

" _So, what can you do?" Jordan asked._

" _Well, that would be where Lincoln comes in. If he is willing to allow it, then he would need to sign the papers that would allow me to reintroduce the Full House Gang as canon characters, which I would start by having them appear in a three-part story. Now, I know that they are based on your sisters, and that you may be attached to the characters, which is why I would like to offer you the chance to be a part of it."_

 _Lincoln blinked, his eyes widening more than they already were. "M-me?!" Lincoln asked, pointing at his chest._

" _Of course! Since it's the summer, it won't get in the way of school, and it'll give you a chance to see what it's like behind the scenes." He extended his hand to the boy. "What do you say, Lincoln? Are you interested?"_

" _I… I mean, I would have to get my parents' permission."_

" _Of course. If you leave your home number, I'll give them a ring later today."_

" _In that case…" Lincoln smiled the biggest smile he had ever smiled as he shook Bill's hand. "I'd love to!"_

" _Great to hear!"_

 _(End flashback)_

"You're so lucky, Lincoln," Jordan told him. "I bet there are a million kids across the country who would love to be in your position."

"And even more adults," Lincoln replied, both kids laughing at this.

"Sounds you two had a good time," Jordan's mother spoke.

"Yeah, mom," Jordan answered. "It was really great, though I don't think it would have been as fun without Lincoln to hang out with."

"Thanks, Jordan. It was a lot more fun having you there too."

'Kids,' the woman thought happily, as she pulled up the car near the Loud House. "Alright, Lincoln, we're here."

"Thank you for the lift," he told her, undoing his seatbelt. "Get home safe."

"We will."

He opened the door, picked up his bag and got out, turning around to face Girl Jordan. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Sure thing," she replied. "Maybe you can show me that arcade you told me about."

"Sounds great."

She undid her seatbelt, shuffled across the seats and threw her arms around him. Unlike before, he didn't hesitate in returning the gesture, a happy smile on his face as he once again felt a warmth in his chest. They hugged for a few seconds before letting go. Jordan shuffled back to her seat whilst Lincoln shut the door. Once her daughter was buckled in, Jordan's mother started the engine again and began to drive off, Lincoln waving as they did. Once they were far enough away, he happily sighed as he walked towards the front door. Opening it, he stepped inside and shut it behind him, alerting his presence to his ten sisters sat on the couch watching TV.

"Well, look who it is!" Lola said first as she and the others (except Lucy) grinned. "It's Captain Underpants, back from his nerd convention!"

The others (again, except Lucy) joined her in laughing, but quickly stopped when they realised that Lincoln was too. "Yeah, I'm back," he replied, grinning as much as they were. "How was you day, you guys?"

The sisters all blinked, looking at each other, then back at Lincoln. "Uh… good?" Lynn answered, confused.

"What's going on?" Lori asked.

"Nothing. What, I can't ask how my sisters' day went?"

Lori raised an eyebrow. "Okay…"

Just then, the door behind the couch opened, and the mother of the Loud family, Rita Loud, stepped out. She saw Lincoln and smiled. "Hey, Lincoln!" She greeted. "How was your convention?"

"It was great, thanks," he happily responded.

"Glad to hear it! Sorry I couldn't pick you up, I'll be sure to thank the McBrides later."

"Oh, I didn't go with Clyde." This caught everyone's attention. "After you dropped me off, his dad told me he wasn't feeling well enough to go."

"So you, like, went by yourself?" Leni asked.

"Yeah. I was going to come back here, but I spoke with Clyde before leaving and he insisted that I go."

"Who brought you back, dude?" Luna inquired.

"Just a friend from school." He turned to Lori. "Speaking of friends, Becky, Chaz and Joey said hi."

Lori rolled her eyes. "Pfft, yeah right! Like you bumped into them at your-" She stopped when she heard her phone go off. Taking it out of her pocket, she unlocked it and her eyes widened when she saw the photo that Becky had taken with the others. The others all looked at the photo and had the same reaction. "Huh. I guess you did."

"Told you."

"Hey, Lincoln? What's that around your neck?" Lana asked.

"Oh, you mean this," he explained, pulling the medal out of his bag. His sisters all swarmed him, asking him how he got it while he held it against his chest to stop them from grabbing it. "Easy, easy!"

"Girls, give Lincoln some space," Rita ordered, the girls obliging. "Thank you. So, Lincoln, how did you get that?"

"I came second place in a costume contest!"

Rita's eyes lit up. "That's great, honey! Good job! You want to put it in the trophy case?" He nodded. "Alright, I'll go and grab the key."

Whilst Rita walked away to find the key, Lincoln's sisters resumed to questioning. "I assume that the female homo-sapien stood next to you in the photograph with the golden medallion is the one who came first in said contest?" Lisa inquired.

"Yeah, that's right."

"Lori, can I see the picture again?" Luan asked. Lori nodded, showing the photo to the comedian. "Is she dressed as the Joker?!"

"Yeah. She said that she was her favourite character."

Luan smiled. "Aww…"

Lincoln smirked at his sisters. "When did you guys get so interested, huh? I thought you thought it was dorky and lame."

"That was before we knew you could win stuff at it!" Lynn pointed out, with most of her sisters agreeing, whilst Lucy stepped forward.

"Sorry for being so harsh on you, big brother," she told him. "We shouldn't be so judgmental about your interest in Ace Savvy, especially since we know how much you love it."

The other sisters were surprised by Lucy's choice of words. "Actually, I never minded a lot of the Ace Savvy stuff, bro," Luna confessed. "It was mainly the costume that I found a bit goofy."

"That, and you reading comics in your undies," Lola added

The other sisters voiced their agreement to this statement. "Thanks for being honest, guys," he told them. "I just don't like you guys always laughing at me for it."

"You're right," Lori spoke. "We literally shouldn't have laughed, regardless of how we felt about it, and we're sprry."

"If it helps, I won't be laughing again," Lynn pointed out, while pointing at his medal. "You proved me wrong, Link."

"Thanks, guys. I forgive you."

"Alright, Lincoln," Rita said upon returning, key in hand, "I'll let you do the honours."

"Thanks, mom." He took the key and walked into the dining room. Unlocking and opening the case, he placed the medal next to his 'most improved brother trophy' his sisters gave him, and smiled. 'It might not be first place,' he thought, 'but I'm still proud.'

He closed the door, locking it up before returning to the living room and giving the key back to his mother. "Thanks, honey," she told him. "Alright, everyone. Dinner is in an hour, so you can relax for the time being."

As she walked back to her room, Lincoln turned to his sisters. "I think I'm going to take the costume off," he told them.

"Not so fast, 'Ace'," Luan told him. "There's still one card left to play!" She laughed her usual boisterous laugh. "Get it?"

"Actually, I don't," Lincoln told her, tilting her head.

"What she means, bro," Luna spoke, a certain deviousness to her voice, "is that you haven't told us who the girl in the photo is."

Lincoln looked at them, all expecting an answer, but he just smirked at them. "You know what? Maybe later, but right now, I fold."

Their faces all fell as he began to walk upstairs. They called out for him to come back, but he continued walking turning towards his room. Once inside, he closed the door behind him, placed his bag on his desk and grabbed his walkie talkie. "Clyde?" He spoke into the walkie. "You there?"

" **Hey, Lincoln,"** he heard Clyde respond a couple of seconds later.

"How you feeling, buddy?"

" **Not great, but better than I was this morning, I guess. How was the convention?"**

"It was awesome, Clyde! You're never going to guess what happened!"

" **Well, go on, then! Tell me!"**

"I entered a costume contest, and came second! I even got a silver medal which I just put in the trophy case!"

" **No way! That's awesome! I wish I could have been there to see it myself."**

"I know, Clyde." He began rummaging through the bag. "Don't worry, though. I got you some stuff from the convention."

" **Thanks, buddy. What'd you get?"**

"Well, first, I got you a-" Lincoln paused when he found something intriguing in his bag.

" **Lincoln? You there?"**

"… you know what? On second thoughts, I'll keep it a surprise. In fact, I'll bring them over tomorrow and tell you more about the convention. I'm a bit tired, and I think I could use a shower."

" **Okay. Talk to you tomorrow, Lincoln."**

"Sure thing, Clyde." Lincoln then hung up and placed the walkie back on his desk. Sitting on his bed, he looked at the thing he had found in his bag- a small, white piece of paper which had a phone number on it, and beneath that, it read:

 _Thanks for making today so awesome._

 _Hope we can hang out sometime._

 _Give me a call._

 _Jordan x_

Lincoln sighed happily, smiling goofily before he turned to the viewer. "Best. Ace Savvy Convention. Ever."

 **THE END**


End file.
